Abstract
Synthetic antimicrobial agents, like triclosan, used in many cosmetics are now associated with serious health problems, beginning with skin irritation to cancer. This calls for alternative antimicrobial agents. Many plant extracts have the potential to inhibit the growth of microorganisms and perhaps kill them and thus can serve as alternative antimicrobial agents in cosmetic formulations. To demonstrate this, a hand-washing liquid soap was prepared in the presence of varying concentrations of aloe vera extract and tested in-vitro against common skin microbes. First, a liquid soap paste was prepared by saponifying a vegetable oil blend containing olive oil (80.0 %w/w), coconut oil (14.3 %w/w) and castor oil (5.7 %w/w) with aqueous KOH solution (22.5 %w/w) at a relatively high temperature (200 °C). Second, the soap paste was diluted with distilled water in the presence of varying concentrations (0 to 66.67 %w/w) of aloe vera extract to obtain hand-washing liquid soap samples, with the extract acting as an antimicrobial agent. Third, the liquid soap solutions were characterised in terms of foaming, wetting and cleansing abilities and the ability to inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the fungus Aspergillus flavus. These were compared with those of a commercial (Astonish) hand-washing liquid soap sample containing triclosan (0.1 %w/w) as an antimicrobial agent. The liquid soap solutions exhibited excellent foaming, wetting and cleansing abilities, similar to the commercial liquid soap solution. In addition, the liquid soap solutions gave an average zone of inhibition between 9.0±0.3 mm and 11.0±0.2 mm for S. aureus, 7.0±0.1 mm and 10.0±0.2 mmfor P. aeruginosa and also inhibited the growth of the fungus A. flavus. These results compare favourably ( p= 0.05)with the commercial liquid soap solution, which gave an average inhibition zone of 9.00±1 mmfor both bacteria and also inhibited the growth of the fungus. This indicates that aloe vera extract can be used as an antimicrobial agent in the formulation of antimicrobial hand-washing liquid soap and other related products, rather than synthetic agents which are inherently harmful.
Highlights
Triclosan, triclocarban, phenols, halogens, trichlorocarbonalide, hydrogen peroxide and alcohols are commonly used as antimicrobial agents in cosmetic formulations like liquid hand-washing soaps, solid soaps, disinfectants, deodorants, toothpastes and liquid sanitisers (Fraise et al, 2004)
A soap paste was obtained by saponifying an oil blend containing olive oil, coconut oil and castor oil with potassium hydroxide solution
The soap paste was diluted with distilled water containing aloe vera extract to obtain antimicrobial hand-washing liquid soap samples, with the aloe vera extract acting as a natural antimicrobial agent
Summary
Triclocarban, phenols, halogens, trichlorocarbonalide, hydrogen peroxide and alcohols are commonly used as antimicrobial agents in cosmetic formulations like liquid hand-washing soaps, solid soaps, disinfectants, deodorants, toothpastes and liquid sanitisers (Fraise et al, 2004). Like many other synthetic organic antimicrobial agents, studies have linked triclosan with serious health problems, beginning with skin irritation to hormone disruption (Hond et al, 2013). Triclosan is not degradable and persists in the environment for longer periods and as such it is frequently detected in stream water (Calafat et al, 2008; Halden and Paul, 2005; Montagner et al, 2014). This necessitates the search for new, effective, less harmful and environmentally benign antimicrobial agents for cosmetic formulations
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